You can only pick one or maybe two or five

who was the eckankar guy?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2708/4429130355_63ee932ac6_o.jpg

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSO6n8jfeDXbPHMfry39VMsi0L0Bd5wKCyMZSQ0WFlLM3_wY1Q&t=1&usg=__q3cX3iJ-QTW927xpa3Rdeg1Id9k=

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pCG_c3Rq788/S8sjmq8GCsI/AAAAAAAAHPM/S2klL3WvloQ/s1600/Sri+Ramakrishna+Paramahamsa+3.jpg

that was sri harold klemp

http://www.onelittleangel.com/common/images/auteur/Ramana_Maharshi_191.jpg

it's funny b/c Anandamayi Ma was probably the most beautiful-looking human being ever, and Nisargadatta Maharaj probably the ugliest

Nityananda of Ganeshpuri- John Phillip's son is a devotee.
Sai Baba of Shirdi- both Muslims and Hindus claim him as a saint. is supposed to have guru'd Meher Baba
Papaji- blasted Americans and Europeans and I guess antipodal dwellers with his shakti and then they ran around claiming to be enlightened
Anandamayi Ma- was not human
Nisargadatta Maharaj- very ugly man, sold beedis
Ramakrishna- Ramakrishna was born in a poor Brahmin Vaishnava family in rural Bengal. He became a priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, dedicated to the goddess Kali, which had the influence of the main strands of Bengali bhakti tradition.[2] His first spiritual teacher was an ascetic woman skilled in Tantra and Vaishnava bhakti.[13] Later an Advaita Vedantin ascetic taught him non-dual meditation, and according to Ramakrishna, he experienced nirvikalpa samadhi under his guidance. Ramakrishna also experimented with other religions, notably Islam and Christianity, and said that they all lead to the same God.[2] Though conventionally uneducated, he attracted the attention of the middle class and numerous Bengali intellectuals.
Ramana Maharshi- what more can I say?

yeah, thinking about it, India had a great tradition of saints. even in the last century, the steamship age, the space travel age. these are people who thought of nothing except God, uninterruptedly. even looking at pictures of them confers immense blessings.

1. He urged people who came to him to practice self-enquiry;
2. He directed people to look inward rather than seeking outside themselves for Realization. ("The true Bhagavan resides in your Heart as your true Self. This is who I truly am.");
3. He viewed all who came to him as the Self rather than as lesser beings. ("The jnani sees no one as an ajnani. All are only jnanis in his sight.");
4. He charged no money, and was adamant that no one ever ask for money (or anything else) in his name;
5. He never promoted or called attention to himself. Instead, Sri Ramana remained in one place for 54 years, offering spiritual guidance to anyone of any background who came to him, and asking nothing in return;
6. He considered humility to be the highest quality;
7. He said the deep sense of peace one felt around a jnani was the surest indicator of their spiritual state, that equality towards all was a true sign of liberation, and that what a true jnani did was always for others, not themselves.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

this is one of the first polls i've ever remembered to vote in

i wonder how the workshy teadrinkers will vote

yessir, i can't help but wonder...

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.